I whai waahi atu a Harlem-Cruz Atarangi Ihaia, 19 ngā tau, ki te whakataetae Miss Universe New Zealand kia tīni te whakaaro o te ao ki ngā taiohi Māori. A ināianei kua whakaingoatia koia tētahi o ngā kōhine i te puna 20.
I whānau mai ia i Kahungunu, he kōhine kāore i te pani kanohi ia rā kāore hoki i te mau hū stilleto, engari he wheako pai te whakataetae nei mōna.
Hei tā Harlem-Cruz Atarangi Ihaia (Ngāti Kahungunu), "Kei te pirangi au kia tū hei tauira, he ataahua au, he ataahua ngā stretchmarks, ko au tēnei me whakamana mātou i tō mātou tinana."
He kaiāwhina a Harlem-Cruz i te kohanga reo nei ki Onekawa, Te Kupenga o te Mātauranga
I tērā wiki i tohua koia tētahi o ngā kōhine i te puna whakamutunga o te whakataetae Miss Universe New Zealand.
Ko tā Ihaia, "I haere au ki reira i te whakapono au ki taku māoritanga mēnā kāore rātou i te rata, a, ka puta au i te whakataetae, nā reira, ko taku hiahia kia pupuri ki taku mana māori motuhake i tēnei ko tērā te mea anake ka wehe i au i ngā wahine."
I kuraina ia ki te Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Ara Hōu ki Ahuriri kua whiwhi tohu hoki i te mātauranga Māori, ināianei ko te whai kia mau i te pare o te whakataetae nei.
Hei tā Ihaia, "I'm winning this competition for us, and for my people and my country and we're not about being fake so I just want to be a true New Zealander."
Hei te Akuhata ka eke ia ki te atamira o Sky City mō te kōwhiringa toa, hei reira whakaingoa ai te kōhine Miss Universe New Zealand.